Life Lessons
by rumpelsnorcack
Summary: Harry discovers something he really wishes he hadn't seen when he comes home from work.


'Harry!'

The voice was getting louder as it got closer, almost vibrating off the walls surrounding him. Harry winced as it increased in pitch as well as volume and the vibrations became more tangible.

'Harry Potter, you get out here right now!'

An ominous silence followed – it almost echoed off the walls itself as the booming shout died away.

Harry shrank back in his chair, trying to make himself as small as he could and hoping she might give up if he didn't respond.

'HARRY JAMES POTTER!'

Harry sighed and stepped out from his study before she could take root in it. He knew if she came in the coming discussion would last much longer, so he forestalled her in the hallway. He leaned as casually as he could against the doorjamb.

'What?' He asked, though he had a reasonably good idea. He tried for a winning grin which slid off his face when he caught sight of his wife's furious glare.

'Your son.' She tapped her foot impatiently, her eyebrow quirked in angry inquiry. Bugger. It looked like she knew he knew something. Or at least suspected. Harry squirmed. He suddenly realised what it must be like for his children to face their mother in a rage, but still he tried for casual innocence.

'Which one?' The glare got deeper and even more furious. Harry sighed in resignation.

'What's James done now?'

'He's missing.' She looked at him expectantly. He coughed, feeling his body tense. 'With a girl.' More tension. Ginny, of course, picked up on it. She hadn't been one of the league's top Chasers for nothing – reading body language had always been her strength. 'What do you know about this? Harry!'

'I … um. I...' The rest came out in a huge rush. 'He … er, he may have told me about his new girlfriend while he was here over Easter.'

'And you didn't think to tell me?'

'Well, he was worried you would be… Well, that you would …'

'I would what?'

Harry waved his hand at her, indicating the hair which was almost quivering on her head, the stiff body, the set face. 'Get like this. All … angry.'

Ginny took one, deep, dangerous breath and snarled, 'I am only angry because my son is missing. Missing, Harry! I don't care if he has fifty girlfriends so long as I know where he is and what he's doing…'

'I, uh … I may have found them,' Harry said, trying to keep his voice calm and quiet. They were getting close to dangerous territory here, so he had to feel his way carefully.

'Merlin, Harry! Why didn't you say so earlier?' Her body immediately relaxed as relief swept over her face.

'Because he … they …' he took a deep breath. _Calm_, he reminded himself. _We need to stay calm_. 'Well. It's not exactly the two of them that are lost.'

Ginny looked thunderous. 'If you don't start talking sense, Harry Potter, so help me I'm going to pull out the good old bat bogey and hex you where the sun don't shine …' she wrenched her wand out of her pocket and thrust it under his nose, demonstrating exactly where the hex would hit.

Harry blushed, then coughed again. 'Let's just say they aren't as pure as they were a few hours ago.'

Ginny gasped, her wand dropping as she took in what he meant. 'Harry! You're not saying …'

'Yes I am,' he said. 'I found them … it was not pleasant.'

'The wee toad!' Ginny shrieked. 'He's only seventeen! What's he doing thinking of things like that at that age?'

Harry sniggered. 'Listen to you! You were thinking _very_ similar things at seventeen.'

Ginny's fizzing temper dropped a level as she smiled resignedly back at him. 'I guess I was, but …'

'And much as we hate to admit it, they're both of age. There's really nothing we can do about it.'

'I know, but …'

'There are no 'buts' here, Ginny. I think they've been pretty restrained, considering. I mean, when I was seventeen I had other things on my mind so I didn't think about, well, _that_ …'

Ginny smiled at him. 'Yeah you did,' she said, 'but that didn't change much, I don't think. I wasn't ready.' She sniggered suddenly. 'Oh Merlin, I remember Mum giving me 'the talk' when I was about fourteen. I was mortified and wanted the whole room to swallow me up so I didn't have to listen to her.' She sighed, a pensive look stealing onto her face. 'And now here's our boy …'

'Yeah. But he's a good boy with his head screwed on ok, despite the pranks. He'll be fine.'

'I guess so. It's just … I don't want them to grow up this fast. Next thing we know it'll be Albus and then Lily and then I'll have lost all my children …' She sniffed sadly.

Harry pulled her into his arms. 'You won't have lost them. You'll never lose them. They'll always be our babies, no matter what.'

Ginny relaxed into him for a moment, before stiffening and saying, 'wait. _You_ found them? So they're here?'

'They were, yeah.'

'Why here and not school?'

'Apparently, the boys' dormitory isn't a safe haven anymore …'

'It never really was.'

Ignoring her, Harry continued, 'and the girls' dormitory is still out of bounds for boys, so they had what they thought was the brilliant idea to come here. They _thought_ we'd be at work. And perhaps we would have been, except …'

Harry shuddered as he remember finding the pair of them coiled together in James's bed, showing far more flesh than Harry had really wanted to see of some other bloke's little girl. They were snoring softly together, but given the lack of clothing it was obvious what had been going on. Harry had tried to slip out without alerting them but ironically his wand had snagged on the door handle and the resulting crash had awakened them both with a bang. His heart had gone out to his son, who had immediately placed himself in front of the girl while looking terrified to find his father in his bedroom.

'… Except they fell asleep and I found them when I got home. They were pretty freaked out, actually, since they'd been away from Hogwarts for several hours by that stage and they knew they'd be in serious trouble for leaving.'

'And they're back there now?'

'Yeah, I delivered them myself. Just before you came yelling through the house.'

Ginny grinned at him. 'And are we going to tell the young lady's parents?'

'I'm leaving that up to the school. I left them in the formidable care of Neville, who should hopefully put the fear of the Minister for Magic into them if they ever dare leave without permission again.'

'That'll barely count and you know it. Neville's just part of the furniture to our kids, and Kingsley …'

'I know. But one of them _isn't_ our kid and she seemed a bit more sensible than our little firebolt. She looked like she'd faint when she saw me, actually.'

'I'm not surprised … you are the famous Harry Potter, after all.'

Harry groaned. 'Well, if it has a use for once … I guess I can cope.'

Ginny laughed. 'Well, Mr Potter. Care to join your wife for some dinner? I'm not up for cooking after this excitement, and I'm sure your fame can get us a seat at the Leaky Cauldron even with this late notice. Perhaps we might even hear something from a certain professor's wife while we're there …'

As they left, Harry mused on the day. Perhaps they _were _losing the children they'd once had, but in their place they were gaining some strong young people. Despite how uncomfortable today had been, Harry had been proud of the way James had tried to protect the girl. His thoughtless hellion of a son was maturing before his eyes and taking on responsibility for his actions. And that, Harry thought as he and Ginny entered the bar, was the most important thing you could ask of your children.


End file.
